Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “ballet” come from?

Ballet comes from French ballet, from Italian balletto, from Italian ballo, from Old High German balo, from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH-.

ballet (English): A classical form of dance; A theatrical...

Definitions

  1. A classical form of dance; A theatrical...

Ancestry of “ballet”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchballetballet
2Middle Frenchballet—
3ItalianballettoDiminutive of ballo; short dance; ballet; ballet...
4Italian-ettoAlterative suffix used to form melioratives,...
5English-etUsed to form diminutives, loosely construed
6Middle English-etForms diminutive nouns from nouns; in some words,...
7Old French-etUsed to form a diminutive, masculine noun;...
8Latin-ātus—
9Proto-Italic-ātos—
10Proto-Indo-European-éh₂tos—

Words derived from “ballet”

  • balletic
  • balletmaster
  • balletically
  • balletlike
  • nonballet
  • balletomania
  • unballetic
  • preballet
  • nonballetic
  • balletwear
  • balletgoing
  • balletgoer
  • ballet
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂tos →